The youngest professional fighter at this somewhat under-recognized
gym is versatile flyweight Ray Borg.
Although he is only 19 years old, Borg has been making a name for
himself around the Southwest. Undefeated as an amateur and
professional, every one of Borg’s wins has come by first-round
submission. His latest victory in January was at 135 pounds, as he
submitted Peter
Baltimore under the King of the Cage banner with a rear-naked
choke 4:03 into the opening frame. However, Borg does not feel his
ground game is his greatest asset.

“What’s funny about this is, in each of these fights, it wasn’t me
who took it to the ground,” he told Sherdog.com. “I wanted to
stand, but they decided to take it to the ground, and that was a
mistake on their part.”

Borg was born in Tucson, Ariz., and moved to Tucumcari, N.M., as a
teenager. After a year of football, he decided high school sports
were not for him. A fan of MMA, he decided he wanted to try it for
himself, so he began to train at Cullum Ground Fighting, alongside
Dream
and EliteXC
veteran Abel Cullum.
He was hooked at first taste, and he faithfully trained throughout
the rest of his high school career, five days a week, three hours
per day. Once he graduated, Borg felt he had found his career path,
so he moved to Albuquerque to further his training.

“I wanted to step up my game, improve my standup more than anything
else, but I wanted everything to evolve,” he said.

Borg had met KOTC veterans Sanchez and Gerald
Lovato at several of the state’s grappling tournaments, and he
felt that FIT NHB would be the best place to improve his skills.
Borg believes he made the right choice, and training under Vaughn
has only served to increase his dedication.

“I feel that my best trait would probably be my work ethic,” he
said. “I’m in the gym a minimum of twice a day, making sure that I
put in my time and work hard so that when I step in the cage, it
makes it that much easier. I’m always coming forward, and I’m never
one to turn down a fight.

“If my coach tells me, ‘Hey, I got a fight for you,’ I’ve never
asked, ‘Who is it?’ or ‘What’s their record?’ I just say, ‘Sounds
good. Where do I sign?’ So I feel that my toughness and willingness
to take on anyone are good qualities,” Borg said.

His coaches and teammates rave about his approach, maturity and
development.

“Ray is a young, well-rounded mixed martial artist with a maturity
in training ethic and competition,” Vaughn said. “Ray is exciting
to watch and has a killer instinct. All early indications are that
Ray can and will compete at the highest level.”

A consummate team player, Borg seems to only lack seasoning, and,
at 19, time remains on his side. FIT NHB co-owner Arlene
Sanchez-Vaughn, a world champion kickboxer, believes his
combination of ability and drive will carry him a long way in
MMA.

“Ray is an all- around MMA fighter; he’s a boxer, muay Thai
fighter, wrestler and grappler,” she said. “He has fast footwork,
fast hands and quick takedowns. He’s not just a fighter but an
athlete. He has dreams and goals, and he works hard every day to
make them happen. He is always there for his teammates. Ray is a
must-see in the 125-pound pro MMA division.”

Sanchez, a stablemate at FIT NHB, has watched Borg from the
beginning and thinks the young flyweight has a bright future.

“Even from his first amateur fight,” Sanchez said, “I’ve said he is
something and someone to keep an eye on.”